The AFL cant afford to let the swans languish

[ScottH]

Who would have thought that in mentioning Manangatang you would have a poster who used to drive through there regularly and another that used to play for them?

MY B-in-L, used to teach there many years ago.
The only reason I know where it is.

[barry]

I am not sure I agree with the talk about the Sydney markert not being able to take a team that is down the bottom.

The big difference compared to the early 90's is that this time the club now has a solid base in both Sydney and Melbourne that will stick with it to a certain piont.

Besides the base that we now have, in the early 90's the club was so low it really didn't have any hope and this reflected in our results across the board.

We couldn't attract decent players, quality coaching staff or football department expertise and the club itself lacked a winning culture.

Fast forward to now and we have a fantastic head of football in Andrew Ireland, a strong coaching group with a would be coach in Longmire and have invested heavily in our recruiting staff with quality people like Maxfield.

Add to that our own player driven culture that is looked upon by the rest of the AFL with respect and a sustained period of success (see afl.com.au story today) that has built a new club story.

We are a vastly different club that we were in the early 90's.

Yes there will be a drop off in members and sponsors, but I don't see it as a big issue as long as the club sticks to it's hard won respect and can put out a face to the public that we are building something new and exciting.

I for one, look forward to seeing us turn the list over and have a go with a new crop of players and hopefully Roos will see the upside in this and want to stay and give it a go with a new group of players.

DST

No doubt the Sydney swans would survive. In the 90's we didnt have access to priority picks, or extra salary cap room, so when Sydney were down, they looked like staying there indefinitely. Now, almost everyone expects to bounce back within 3 or 4 years.

The problem is the AFL. With Sydney being out of finals contention, the AFL makes a lot less money, and that impacts the whole competition. The worst thing that can happen is the AFL prop up Sydney somehow, such that we sit in a holding pattern around 6th to 10th.

This is the fundamental reason we need a Western Sydney side. To carry the AFL batten while the Swans rebuild.

[stellation]

No doubt the Sydney swans would survive. In the 90's we didnt have access to priority picks, or extra salary cap room, so when Sydney were down, they looked like staying there indefinitely. Now, almost everyone expects to bounce back within 3 or 4 years.

The problem is the AFL. With Sydney being out of finals contention, the AFL makes a lot less money, and that impacts the whole competition. The worst thing that can happen is the AFL prop up Sydney somehow, such that we sit in a holding pattern around 6th to 10th.

This is the fundamental reason we need a Western Sydney side. To carry the AFL batten while the Swans rebuild.

I have to admit that I had not thought of that before, and it is just about the best reason I've heard for a Western Sydney side.

[johnno]

If everyone who said they were there actually was, there would have been sell-outs every week

Well I was one who went through all those loses in a row(think it was 28 not 26, but not 100% sure), anyway, going through those loses and being a swans supporter here in Melbourne, let me tell you was a very painful experiences. All kinds of jokes being said about you on breakfast radio, skits on shows like fast forward(remember that show?) etc, I think you get the drift. But, the victory over Melbourne to break the hoodoo was fantastic, but even so, I would not want to go through something like that again.

[premiers05]

I have to admit that I had not thought of that before, and it is just about the best reason I've heard for a Western Sydney side.

Its not just about the survival of the swans. Its about AFL in the whole of sydney. At the moment the swans are the face of AFL in NSW.
In all other states, except QLD AFL has 100 years of tradition and local comps. In SA you get 10,000 to a SANFL game. Guess how many you get to a North Shore Bombers game? Anyone? Maybe two hundred. But the game has been growing here. As the swans have been in NSW and particularly in the last 10 years, local comps, Auskick in primary schools and a real interschool comp has started but it will peter out with the demise of the swans and IMO the AFL cant afford to do that.
If they are serious about AFL as a brand in NSW they can't afford to let the Swans languish.

[Darren Thomson]

Agreed. Following an AFL club means taking the good with the bad. Just change your focus to enjoying the development of the team and players, rather than winning per se. When the winning starts again, it is so much more rewarding to say you went along for the ride. Supporters who drop off in the dry periods aren't really supporters, but rather bandwagoners.

Agreed again, we all remeber losing 26 in a row, just made the first win so much better, weren't we supposed to finish last in 2004 - 2005 according to the experts? If the spirit stays we can do anything

[ScottH]

I'd love to see if RWO becomes a WWE ring, or a Ghost town, if we experience that sort of era again.